«Sport Tourists with Disabilities: Accessible Tourism, Accommodation, Recreation and Sport in Greece»

This paper examines the travel preferences of tourists with disabilities, the type of accommodation they select, the reasons that push them away from travelling and the sources of accessible accommodation information they choose. The “Accessible Tourism Accommodation Survey” (ATAS) was applied as the basis of the present study. The sample consisted of 81 sport tourists with disabilities with physical and sensory disabilities. The survey was conducted in 4 cities in Northern Greece, where sport events were organized and conducted. The participants identified many obstacles as important reasons for avoiding a trip, such as the general cost / economic constraints, the lack of accessible destinations, suitable accommodation, the problems of transportation getting to the destinations and at the destinations, the lack of accessible attractions, etc. The surveys’ data revealed preferences, habits, and barriers to access for travelers with disabilities, which the tourism industry is invited to understand and to respond to them through the design and redesign of products and services in the field of tourism.